Barrow Bridge Railtour (2008) - Whitehead Railway Museum

Wednesday 7th May: (4 ECS) Whitehead - Belfast - Dundalk; (4) Dundalk - Dublin Connolly. Set ran empty to Dundalk because of restriction of Central Door Locking not yet fully certified. Friday 9th May: (186) Dublin Connolly - Mullingar - Dublin Connolly. Saturday 10th May: (4) Dublin Connolly - Carlow - Waterford - Clonmel - Waterford. Sunday 11th May: (4) Waterford - Rosslare - Dublin Connolly. Set ran empty between Rosslare Strand and Rosslare Harbour for gauging at new station. Monday 12th May 2008: (4) Dublin Connolly - Dundalk - Drogheda - Dundalk; (4 ECS) Dundalk - Whitehead. (Ran empty Dundalk to Whitehead because the new door locking was not yet fully certified). All photographs by C.P. Friel unless otherwise credited.

7/5/2008: No.4 and her five Mk2 coaches whizzing along the shores of Belfast Lough, at Eden, just east of Downshire Park. This is the 'empty' to Dublin.

7/5/2008: No.4 coasts into Belfast over the Dargan Bridge, with the reflection of the train visible in the Royal Mail's Tomb Street building. The pleasure craft "Joyce Too" rides at anchor in midstream.

7/5/2008: Before long, No.4 steamed merrily out of Belfast Central on her way south.

7/5/2008: Our photographer in the chase car set himself up just south of Cloghogue Chapel for this shot, but his composition was foiled by the loco being shut off and, instead of a sharp exhaust, he got rolling clouds of black smoke instead.

7/5/2008: Further south he had better luck at the summit of Kellystown bank, just north of Drogheda. Later in the day the train was stabled in the shed at Connolly station, ready for the railtour proper to commence.

8/5/2008: The next morning, Thursday, No.4 was parked next to No.186 and was cooling down from the previous day's run from Whitehead. David had just finished repainting No.186's smokebox door which seemed a little the worse for wear.

8/5/2008: Bill has just finished putting the shine on No.186's chimney. The Irish Rail CTC building is in the background.

8/5/2008: The cleaning team, from left to right, Luke, Kevin, Bill and Mark.

9/5/2008: Early Friday morning and our J15 was in the yard behind the old valeting shed at Connolly getting up steam for the day. The fire was lit late on Thursday afternoon and the engine was brought to the boil slowly. (M. Walsh)

9/5/2008: A few minutes before departure time, Dan, one of our regular IÉ steam drivers, brought No.186 to Platform 1 at Connolly and backed onto the train. Lar helps him keep a good look out.

9/5/2008: The draincocks are hissing as No.186 is coupled to her train, the photographs are taken and the passengers find their seats in the wooden-bodied set of carriages.

9/5/2008: At Maynooth Bill can be seen storming off down the platform with a hose for watering the engine. (R. Joanes)

9/5/2008: No.186 passing the new station at Kilcock with the railtour train en route to Mullingar after an extended wait at Maynooth. (B. Stinson)

9/5/2008: At Mullingar, No.186 left her train in the Down Sligo platform and made her way to the turntable at the Athlone end of the former engine shed. In this shot the loco has just passed onto the disused former MGWR main line to Athlone. (B. Stinson)

9/5/2008: No.186 has gained the old Down Athlone line and is running towards the former Mullingar West signal cabin. To the left are the relatively new apartment blocks that now occupy the former cattle market on the far side of the Royal Canal.

9/5/2008: For the first time in many a long year, one of our engines approaches Mullingar's turntable. It is now surrounded by a high fence, as you can see, exasperatingly close to the turntable well!

9/5/2008: No.186 then made use of an old pit to have her fire cleaned, ashpan raked and boxes oiled. Despite much work by the PW people, the pit has odd growths almost obscuring everything - but it did the job!

9/5/2008: No.186 moving towards the buffers where it will reverse across to the Up line. (R. Joanes)

9/5/2008: No.186, after a further series of reversals, eventually regained the former Up Athlone platform and waited here while an empty timber train from the North Wall to Sligo rumbled through.

9/5/2008: During the run back to Dublin, the opportunity was taken to stop at a brand new station, Phoenix Park (later renamed Navan Road Parkway), which will be in the centre of a huge new housing development.

9/5/2008: Another view of Phoenix Park. (R. Joanes)

9/5/2008: Back at Connolly, Dick Fearn, Chief Executive of Irish Rail, joined Dan and Tony to add some necessary coal to the firebox. Mr Fearn commented later that "it certainly beats paperwork!".

10/5/2008: On Saturday morning, Peter (left) and Fergus get the pan going for bacon butties. This was the last year before the refurbished former NIR dining car 547 joined the Mk2 set.

10/5/2008: After a brisk run down to Carlow, we ran through the picturesque station and forged on to the water stop at Bagenalstown.

10/5/2008: At Bagenalstown, Carriage and Wagon Officer Francis Richards has every right to feel proud of 'his' Mk2s.

10/5/2008: During the water stop, passengers were allowed (under supervision) to move off the platform and stand along the embankment which now marks where the line to Borris diverged to the right.

10/5/2008: One of the main tour duties is delivering the pre-ordered lunches to participants. Here, Fergus McDonnell (in the white shirt) has the job well in hand.

10/5/2008: Thomastown Viaduct, just south of the station of the same name, spans the river Nore and is the largest single-span bridge on Irish Rail.

10/5/2008: With its train shunted to the bay, No.4 is in the main platform road at Waterford having come from servicing in the yard. (R. Joanes)

10/5/2008: No.4 has manoeuvred itself across from the through platform and is coming on to its train at Waterford. (R. Joanes)

10/5/2008: After Waterford, No.4 worked a short trip to Clonmel and back. Here, running bunker-first, she pauses at Carrick on Suir. In the background are the premises of the Irish Traction Group.

10/5/2008: Another view of Carrick, with the goods crane still looking good at that time. (T. Bowes)

10/5/2008: No.4 running round her train after arrival at Clonmel, as seen from the footbridge. Note the fine station building to the left, now sadly much under-used.

10/5/2008: Looking the other way from the footbridge, towards Waterford, as No.4 approaches her train. The former goods store is beyond the locomotive.

10/5/2008: A final view of the train on this day as No.4 sits at Waterford's Platform 3 before retreating to the goods yard for servicing and overnight storage.

10/5/2008: Most tour participants gathered later for the railtour dinner where Jon Beaumont thanked everyone for their support. A quick count revealed that 6 of the company had been on the first two-day tour back in 1968 - forty years ago.

11/5/2008: Early Sunday morning, and this view across the Suir shows No.4 and her train stabled in the goods yard to the west of the passenger station. A 201 class loco is propelling the stock of a push-pull set towards the passenger station.

11/5/2008: The train leaves the yard at Waterford as it heads to the station to pick up passengers. (R. Joanes)

11/5/2008: No.4 passes under Waterford's distinctive Central Cabin while bringing her train on the loop alongside Platform 4. The train was brought to Platform 3, using the crossover half-way along the 1,210-foot long platform.

11/5/2008: No.4 leads her train across the Barrow Bridge. The loco is just about on the bridge's opening span which is controlled by a signal cabin atop the structure - one of the loneliest cabins ever in Ireland.

11/5/2008: The sun broke through the mist in time for the stop at Ballycullane where, under supervision, participants were allowed off the wide single platform to photograph the train and the blossoming gorse.

11/5/2008: A wider view of the train and crowds at Ballycullane. (R. Joanes)

11/5/2008: Driver Tony Renehan brings No.4 and train into the platform at Wellington Bridge, now the only passing loop on the South Wexford line and the only one to retain its corrugated iron station buildings.

11/5/2008: A view of No.4 at Wellington Bridge with some admiring fans.

11/5/2008: To the right are bogie beet container wagons that were only used for one season before the beet traffic disappeared. Wellington Bridge had been a major loading station and the area to the right was dominated by the loading plant.

11/5/2008: At Rosslare Strand, passengers had to leave the train - No.4 and carriages were not cleared for the new Europort station. But, it was a glorious afternoon and the participants were able to enjoy the bracing seaside nearby. (R. Joanes)

11/5/2008: Although - is it opening time yet? (P. McCann)

11/5/2008: Meanwhile, at the new Europort station, No.4 is seen with a railcar set, waiting to work to Waterford on Monday morning.

11/5/2008: Fortunately, the link to Rosslare Harbour's turntable was retained as part of the new station. Here No.4 is swung to face north.

11/5/2008: Mark puts his back into it!

11/5/2008: After turning and watering, the ensemble prepares to work back north to collect everyone at the Strand.

11/5/2008: With everyone back on board, No.4 sets off from Rosslare Strand for Wexford. The line to the left is the one we had used earlier from Waterford.

11/5/2008: Just south of Wexford station, we negotiated the quays which have been extended to the right. Some of Wexford's fishing boats are at home on this early Sunday afternoon.

11/5/2008: At Gorey there is another chance to photograph the train in splendid weather. The signal cabin, off the footbridge, was decommissioned only a week before this, when the line from Greystones to Rosslare was added to the CTC network. (R. Joanes)

11/5/2008: Water was taken at Avoca where the station itself is long gone.

11/5/2008: After a noisy and enthusiastic climb of two miles at 1 in 90 on Rathdrum bank, No.4 stopped in Rathdrum with safety valves lifting!

11/5/2008: A stop was made at Wicklow, where the station name is picked out in stones on the bank to the right.

11/5/2008: Some of the crew have a rest at Wicklow. (R. Joanes)

11/5/2008: The last stop of the day was at Kilcoole. To the right, the bar in the Brake is still doing business with a wide variety of liquids - and some solids.

12/5/2008: It's Monday at Connolly, and NIR driver Noel Playfair receives his wages for the day from Stephen McAteer. (P. McCann)

12/5/2008: A view of the preserved Dundalk Central signal cabin as railtour participants mill about enjoying the atmosphere and No.4 is uncoupled to begin the process of running round its train for an extra trip to Drogheda and back. (P. McCann)

12/5/2008: Back on the train, No.4 gets a 'once over' from James. (P. McCann)

12/5/2008: In the makeshift diner/bar in brake coach 460, Fergus and Stephen seem happy in their work. (P. McCann)

12/5/2008: No.4 running round at Drogheda. (R. Joanes)

12/5/2008: Viewed from the station, No.4 runs on to the Boyne Bridge to gain the Down road to allow coupling to the north end of the train. (P. McCann)

12/5/2008: No.4 has run round at Drogheda and is taking water before moving back to its train. (R. Joanes)

12/5/2008: Back on the train, there is a whisper of steam at the valves as steam is raised for the climb ahead. (P. McCann)

12/5/2008: Central door locking has been fitted to the Mk2 but not yet approved by NIR, so at Dundalk passengers have disembarked to head north via service train. No.4 and train have been shunted to await a later departure for Whitehead. (P. McCann)